Midnight Enchantment
by busybee10
Summary: Harry is the heir to the Xerias. Sirius is dead. Dumbledore wants his pawn back. Ron and Hermione are against him. The only person he can trust is Draco Malfoy. What's a guy to do?


Shouts filled the air, like a fierce swam of bees , along with yells of anger, and cries of agony. Shadowy figures raced through the intricate maze of corridors of the Ancient Palace, deadly blades flashing in their hands. Torches that were once fixed to the marble walls were chopped lose, and carried around like ethereal fiery standards. Everywhere people were running, some carrying bundles of clothing, the others waving their arms around in terror, and dodging through the crowds. The shadowy figures showed no mercy to any, their dark swords slicing down upon any who crossed their path, and soon the palace was stained in blood.

Royani watched the terrible carnage from her ivory tower, a single crystal tear rolling down her cheek. Everything was gone. Her mother, her father, her brothers, her husband, everything. Her once vibrant green wings drooped down her back, and her emerald eyes were frozen in grief.

The baby clasped in her arms let out a cry, and she glanced down, smoothing her daughter's dark red hair. Despite herself, she felt a surge of hope. Perhaps not all was lost. If only Lilith survived, if only the fabled Oraculum line continued, then her family would still have won against the invaders. She closed her eyes, and wordlessly called for her most faithful servant.

There was a rush of air, and then a figure landed upon the window sill. It was a young woman, about twenty, with short moon-blonde hair, and electric blue wings, like that of a delicate butterfly. From head to toe she was cloaked in silver armour, carved with ancient runes, and in her hand she gripped a long sword, which was dripping with a sizzling dark red liquid.

Royani looked sadly at the numerous gashes upon her armour. "How goes the fight?"

The woman shook her head, her grey eyes hard. "We have lost. The enemy is overwhelming us."

Royani blinked. "My husband-"

"Is dead" the woman said coldly. She looked down at the battle below. "Along with over two hundred others."

Royani gasped. "Have any escaped?

The woman nodded. "The Naeri family, the Djinni family, the Arcanis family, and the Zaila family all managed to get out. But that still means that only about fifty Xerias made it out. As for the rest..." She shrugged helplessly.

Royani felt a twinge of excitement. "But you can get out, can't you? Your teleportation can slip past the barrier they've put up?"

The woman nodded, staring at Royani with narrowed eyes. "Yes. But I cannot take someone of your magical strength with me-"

Royani shook her head. "Not me. Lilith." She held out the child to the woman, who looked shocked. "Madame, even if I could take her, where would she go? Every wizard knows about your family, every magical being would be out to get her!"

Royani muttered an incantation, and the baby in her arms changed. Her small green wings vanished, while her angular features shifted until they resembled a human's facial features more than a Xerias's. She pushed Lilith into the woman's arms. "Hide her among the Muggles. Let the wizarding world think all of us have perished. She may not know of her heritage until she reaches twenty-five, but at least we can protect her this way."

The woman nodded silently, and vanished in a puff of blue smoke. Royani smiled dreamily, and folded her wings. Then she stepped up onto the windowsill, leaned forward, and let herself fall.

Four figures silently flew through the dark sky, so fast that they could be mistaken for shooting stars, as silent as the stars they flew by. Occasionally one of them would drop or rise, but mostly they went forward as a straight line. Eventually, they angled sharply downwards, their destination a well-lit street of smart houses. They landed elegantly on the ground, well, one did, the others crashed into it with little if any grace. Grumbling and muttering, they pulled themselves up, their faces lit in the dim glow of the orange street lamps.

Four ethereal women stood on the freshly mown lawn on Private Drive, though if one looked at them carefully you could see that they were actually in their late teens. Delicate wings stretched from their backs, the thin membrane translucent in the moonlight. All of them wore dresses that reached their knees in a wispy gauze that did not leave much to the imagination.

"This is where he is forced to live?" one of them asked, her grey eyes filled with disgust. The speaker had long black hair that reached her hips, red and black wings, and a silver gauze dress. "This awful, small-"

"Silence, Kali" the tallest of them reprimanded, as she gazed at the house. "It is not our place to judge such things." She had silvery blonde hair, light blue eyes, and gold and white wings. Her dress was a little longer than the others, and made of a thicker white gauze.

"That may be, Arianya" murmured another, "but I do not think that this place is a happy one." Her hair was a rich lustreous red, her eyes sea green. As she spoke, her turquoise and silver wings extended, and the smallest of the group ducked to avoid getting clipped on the head. "Could you please be a bit more careful, Silkaya!"

Silkaya grinned ruefully as she carefully pulled back her wings. "My apologies, Yerzinia. Though it surely would not have taken much effort to simply move away?"

Yerzinia scowled, her chestnut hair now very messy. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer."

Kali smirked, for Yerzinia's clumsiness was legendary. "I think you should keep away from our Lord, Yerzinia. Knowing your luck, you'll fall down the stairs and drag him with you."

Yerzinia's violet eyes flashed. "I'm not that bad!"

Kali grinned. "Yes you are."

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Stop!" The two looked guiltily at Arianya, who was glaring at them. "Do you wish to wake up every mortal in this place? Remember what our Lord is suffering, with his powers bound and a slave to the whims of a old human, who has no idea what he is dealing with! If we fail, we will have doomed our entire race to extinction! Is that what you want?"

They looked down at their feet. "No, Ariyana."

The blonde scowled at them, then turned to Silkaya. "Shall we proceed?"

The red-head nodded, looking thoughtfully at the house. "I believe that his room is up there." She pointed to a small window, with heavy curtains drawn across. Arianya nodded, and strode forward. "I suppose that we had better begin." And with that, she led them forward to find the heir to the throne of their race, the grandson of Queen Royani the Third, Harry James Potter.

Please review!


End file.
